06 August 2008 Devotion for Today Insights from Ecclesiates 7:1

06 August 2008 Devotion for Today Insights from Ecclesiates 7:1

The story is told of this guy in Long Beach, California who went into a fried chicken franchise to get some chicken for himself and the young lady with him. She waited in the car while he went in to pick up the chicken. Inadvertently, the manager of the store handed the guy the box in which he had placed the financial proceeds of the day instead of the box of chicken. You see, he was going to make a deposit and had camouflaged it by putting the money in a fried chicken box. The guy took his box, went back to his car, and the two of them drove away. When they got to the park and opened the box, they discovered they had a box full of money. Now that was a very vulnerable moment for the average individual. However, realize the mistake, he got back in his car and returned to the place and gave the money back to the manager. Well, the manager was elated! He was so pleased that he told the young man, “Stick around, I want to call the newspaper and have them take your picture. You’re the most honest guy in town.”

“Oh, no, don’t do that!” the guy said.

“Why not?” asked the manager.

“Well,” he said, “You see, I’m married, and the woman I’m with is not my wife!”

I’ve been mediating lately over Ecclesiastes 7. It was written by “The Preacher” or more likely by Solomon three thousand, five hundred years ago, but it exudes the wisdom of God that we all need to hear and to apply today. For the next several days I would like to share some of these golden nuggets of wisdom with you from this chapter in God’s Word.

The Preacher begins by saying, “A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.” (verse 1).

A good name is a good reputation. We value this today probably more than ever. We’ve been told for so long that we are getting “ripped off” that people are believing it. They want people they know they can trust. A mechanic makes his living from a good name. He can be the most skillful mechanic in the world but if he is dishonest or crooked in his dealings, charges more than he should or doesn’t do the work he charged you for, word will get around and eventually go out of business. The same is true for other service-related businesses and industries. But this is also true of the Christian and his or her testimony to the world with whom he or she relates. If he acts in good faith, people may not say much about it. But if he is overcome by dishonesty then the whole world will find out about it eventually. Keeping a good name is better- and more costly than precious ointment. In Biblical times ointment was made from rare, even exotic plants that were grown in the desert. Frankincense and myrrh were substances presented to the baby Christ child. Ointment of aloes was used to anoint the feet of Jesus. It was used for medicine, fragrances, and for the embalming of the dead. Ointments were costly because of the rarity of the plants from which they were extracted as well as the tedious processes by which they were made. These ointments were highly prized and sought-after.

So is the honesty and the good name of a person who reflects the character of Christ in all he says and does. Someone once said that “honesty is worth more than the best marketing firm you will ever find.” He was right. We live in a time where a man’s word and a handshake don’t mean anything anymore. But we can change this by the standard of honesty and integrity we strive to model in this as we represent Christ to a world who has all but lost hope. May the good name we have grow more precious to us and to others.

Have a blessed day!